Mrs. Ho's 11th Grade AP Lang 2022-2023

     Ever since I was little, I remember my father taking out the recycling or doing activities relating to recycling. He would remove the tabs from coke cans and collect them; I remember he had a large bag or two where the metal tabs stayed. I also remember “helping” him take apart boxes so more could fit into the recycling bins. Recycling was important to him because it is taking care of the environment and world that his children will inherit. Due to his beliefs, I believe recycling is important to take care of the world that will one day be my responsibility.      Many of you reading this blog may think, “recycling at Donna Klein? Why would that be a topic? I have seen recycling bins in the school.” Well due to my participation in the Green club, I was informed that Donna Klein does not actually recycle.       Donna Klein is also proud of its earned certification as a FranklinCovey Leader In Me Lighthous...

  The Potato Experiment          I'm starting this off by wishing you all a happy Halloween, if you celebrate. Since it's objectively the best holiday on the Gregorian calendar, I feel unnaturally obligated to make a blog post about it.          If you celebrate it, what did you dress up as on Monday? I'm altering the blog post format to ask this question early because it's a matter of utmost urgency. I have to know. I'm predicting that you all either went as some type of anthropomorphized animal, a character from a TV show, or one of those inflatable dinosaurs¹ that always accidentally end up causing some serious blunt force trauma.          For my costume, I just put on my clothing from when I worked at the renaissance faire last year. It worked pretty well, actually, because I can play the lyre, so I could tell people that I was a bard or something if they asked.       ...

Why You Should See Don't Worry Darling If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, it is imperative that you watch Don’t Worry Darling . Since I love psychological thrillers and am a huge fan of Harry Styles (who stars in the movie), how could I not watch the film? I was so eager, in fact, that I went to see it in the theaters during Hurricane Ian. Although the ride there was scary, the movie was very much worth the trip. Don’t Worry Darling will have you wondering the whole time, “What exactly is going on?” It is about a couple living in an experimental, close-knit 50s’ town in which all the men are working on a top-secret project. The main character, Alice (Florence Pugh), begins to feel there is something sketchy about the town and questions what the men are really working on. The end of the movie successfully blew my mind. I was shocked, and also very scared, by the crazy twist at the end, as a psychological thriller should rightfully do. The concept of the movie, which you...

     Some of you may be wondering why I am submitting this blog a day late… Did I forget? Am I just irresponsible? The true reason is that last night I had the honor of attending the Donna Klein Jewish Academy Open House. The Open House was truly an eye-opening experience, where I got to introduce myself and the amazing clubs our Rosenblatt Highschool has. I volunteered as a tour guide and helped set up and lead many of the club stands that attended.      The two main stands I promoted were the Jewish Student Union Club (JSU) and the Business Program. I personally know the presidents of both clubs, which made it easier for me to introduce the clubs to the upcoming parents and students of Rosenblatt Highschool. The Business Club didn’t get much action due to it being in a separate room with all the “signature clubs”, but JSU was a whole different story. The presidents were playing Israeli music at their table, which caught the attention of many parents, and ...

This week is the opening for my first public photography exhibit. The passion for photography I have cultivated over the past few years has led to my own exhibit now! My weekly trips to the wetlands over the past few years have allowed me to capture some awesome shots and unique moments. My exhibit will be held at the Spanish River Public Library in Boca Raton. I will be showcasing the top wildlife photos that I have taken in Florida. The exhibit will stay at the library for the rest of the year. My goal is to move the show to another location after this one. I spent the past month choosing which photographs would be displayed and how I would get them printed. Once I received the final printed photos from a photo printing lab in Hollywood, I was able to begin the process of framing and matting. It was tedious as I had to make sure not to fingerprint anything. In the end, I was able to prepare 28 pieces that I will be showcasing at the library. This past weekend, I loaded all of the pho...

My BurgerFi obsession started as a joke. It’s not a joke anymore. My friends and I got lunch at the location near school, then read the awful yelp reviews, inspiring me to write this blog. We went to the fast-food restaurant and ordered at the kiosks. The addition of kiosks in our local BurgerFi is a huge bonus; you don’t have to talk to the cashier, there’s no risk of misunderstanding, and you can easily see all the menu options. Thankfully, there was no line to make us suffer even though it was right around 12:30. It wasn’t empty, but the orders were managed well. There was less wait for our burgers than for Eva’s salad from next door. The service was great, with one of the employees, Luis, helping Milo with his dairy allergy. He told us about the kitchen’s organization and explained that he would clean up the vegan area to make Milo’s burger. Additionally, the Beyond burger is a vegetarian, kosher alternative to other meat burgers. Their oreo milkshake is the best milkshake ...

  The Insurgence of Nostalgia in Television           This blog post contains spoilers for season thirteen of Doctor Who . It also includes a mention of vomit around five paragraphs in, so if you have severe emetophobia or something similar of the sort, please close this page. If neither of these warnings concern you, feel free to keep reading.          If you don't know what Doctor Who is, you're welcome to click out of this blog post and start watching it at any time. I'm not explaining the entirety of the UK's pop culture to you.          Now that the spoiler warning is out of the way, I can go out and say it: they brought back David Tennant. Arguably one of the most iconic Doctors of all time, Tennant's run as the tenth reincarnation of the Doctor spanned three seasons, from 2005 to 2010 (not including the 50th anniversary special in 2013). Just recently, the finale of season thirteen air...

Most Juniors in high school have busy schedules. Some like to use Google Calendar to plan and keep track of their tasks. Others might like the iPhone Reminders app. I don’t. My methods of organization may be a bit unconventional and seemingly disorganized, but they work for me.  My go-to planning tool is my agenda. I love my agenda. It is more like a piece of artwork than a planner, and I almost feel bad for writing in it. Each page has unique, often floral, designs in vibrant colors that make writing down assignments fun! It is extremely compact: only 5 in by 7 in. The small size, however, is not all positive. I can fit it easily in my backpack, but there is little space to write down my homework. I often cram all the assignments close together and write down one or two words to capture the task, leaving me to forget what I was referring to later. It is infuriating when I have an assignment to complete but I do not know what it is.  My next schedule management tool is my alar...

       Scooby-doo is a classic cartoon. Almost everyone has seen an episode or watched a Scooby-doo movie. So how has Scooby-Doo managed to stay relevant since the 70s with barely an outfit change?  One of Scooby-Doo’s biggest advantages is its formula. There is always a masked monster, Scooby and Shaggy eat snacks, Fred makes a trap, Velma solves the mystery, Daphne is pretty, and the villain says, “I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling kids!” These simple tropes allow Scooby-Doo to be transferred into almost any medium. There are Scooby-Doo shows, movies, comics, and even books. The simplistic character models do the same thing, effectively allowing creators to explore characters differently. Each member of the gang comes from a different background and have wildly different personalities. But even with their differences, the Mystery Gang is composed of likable people with enjoyable dynamics. Watching the gang’s shenanigans is str...

  During the most recent break, I watched Thor Love and Thunder . I enjoyed the movie enough to prompt me to write about the movie.  I personally think that the funniest scenes of the movie involved the goats that Thor was awarded for “saving” a group of people. I found the goats’ entrance to the screen incredibly hilarious as Thor calls them “wonderful” meanwhile the goats’ hilarious screaming continues. Then Thor again comments on how “beautiful” they are . Korg’s response describing the goats as also “scream[ing] quite a lot” really added to the amusement I found. The two Goats are my favorite characters and I am glad that they reappear, especially during Thor’s interactions with the Guardians of the Galaxy.  Thor’s interactions with the Guardians of the Galaxy occur naturally and seem continuous with their last appearance in Endgame. Their interactions prompt me and any audience to find situations these characters are faced with amusing. I most enjoyed the scene...

 Recently, I've been listening to many podcasts as the school year started again. On the way to school, while I’m driving in the car, before I sleep at night, everywhere! I love podcasts and being able to do something else while absorbing knowledge and media. During the week before I went back to school, I watched many great TV shows that I never had the time to watch. I watched horror movies, thriller shows, oldies, everything. Before that, I had never really gotten into TV shows or movies, which was new for me. Watching all of those and returning to school, where I didn’t have much spare time to watch media, was a weird adjustment. A few friends told me I should try listening to a horror podcast called “The Magnus Archives” (TMA). The main plot focuses on an archive of mysterious events that happen over time, and the archivist and other main characters that work at the institute try to help solve the overarching mystery and help prevent armageddon. I really enjoyed everything abo...

       My First Job      A couple months ago after my friend got his license, he started a job as a delivery driver for an Italian restaurant in East Boca. I thought this was very cool and it made me wonder if I could do the same thing when I got my license. Last year, I already had interest in finding a job, so I inquired about any openings at my golf club. Unfortunately, they told me to email back in October. Before I had a chance to get in touch with them again, my friend texted me to see if I might be able to assist the restaurant by serving as a delivery driver. Since this would be my first job and I knew my friend did well, it was really exciting for me. I replied to him right away and said I would be happy to do it. The next night, I trained with him and he taught me how to do everything, although the job is pretty much as easy as it sounds. I have now worked four times on my own and I enjoy it a lot. The restaurant has a positive environment an...

Drake and 21 Savage, 2 of the world's most beloved artists have teamed up to release a surprise album titled “Her Loss” on October 28th, 2022; Halloween weekend. This is arguably the most exciting moment of the year for rap fans and the general music community. Every single time Drake and 21 Savage have come together to make a record, it’s been a hit. Rap fans have been absolutely loving this duo and the announcement of this collab project just a week before its release date has the world thrilled. In the past decade, trap music has risen to dominate the Rap/Hip-hop scene, with its biggest artists constantly at the top of the billboard. Artists like Future, Travis Scott, Young Thug, Lil Baby, and 21 Savage are among the greats of the trap scene, and some of the world's most listened-to artists. However, it’s not frequent that we get a collab project among the stars. We’ve got a few, but there has only been one project that presented such an iconic time in music. That project wa...

My dad approached me around a year and a half ago with a problem he was encountering at work that he and other physicians alike were facing. Silver Containing Wound dressings are a very effective modem in killing bacteria and healing wounds. There are many different brands available for use, however, these doctors don't really know which one is most effective. Each company likes to promote and say that theirs is the best however they never provide actual data to prove this to be true. So, I decided to take it upon myself and compare seven different Silver Containing Wound Dressings(SCWDs) in an in vitro model. An in vitro wound model is a modem of testing and conducting research outside of a real body while in vivo is research conducted in or on a real specimen. Fast forwarding to this week, I flew to San Diego as I was accepted by the American College of Surgeons to present my findings at their annual clinical congress. When I arrived in the morning at the convention center, I w...

 Holden Leder Week 5 The Music Pics Up:  Roughly three weeks ago, I took the "right of passage" Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT for short. This test is possibly one of the most important tests I will ever take, as it is the gauge for whether I can get into the elite schools that have been my goal since I was in middle school. The goal for my end SAT score is between a 1490 and 1550, something only a very small percentage of test takers are able to do, and a score that would confirm for me and my college counselor that these schools were achievable. I knew that this first test was not going to be the one, so I preemptively scheduled a second test for a month later, figuring I would get somewhere between a 1350 and 1400, meaning that a 100 to 150-point increase would be needed for me to be done. Going into the test, I had no idea what to expect. I was so nervous that I woke up multiple times the night before. The next morning, I woke up, ate breakfast, and then nervously p...